Being A Confident Direct Seller Doesn’t Have to Be Hard

One of the things I love best about direct selling is the control it gives youbecause you create your own wealth based on your own efforts. If you love your company and your product, it should be easy to confidently sell it. So why do so many direct sellers struggle with “selling” their product or opportunity? Because successfully selling and sharing requires real self-confidence, the kind of confidence that new salespeople might not have developed in themselves just yet for a whole host of reasons. Let’s look at these reasons and let me share with you why they don’t have to be barriers at all.

Look professional to feel professional

Direct selling requires the development of close relationships if you want to succeed. You need to win people over. At the same time, it’s a professional endeavor. So feeling ‘unprofessional’ can make it hard to feel confident. The idea of being a ‘little fish in a big pond’ is scary because you are afraid people will notice your inadequacies. So change your image. Rebrand yourself. Get some awesome business cards made, create a business page on Facebook or even your own simple website. You can also create your own business address and stop using your home address. You can get an inexpensive P.O. Box at the post office, use a mail center to get an actual physical address, or even look at a mailbox forwarding review. Mailbox forwarding lets you give out a more professional address and then they deliver your mail electronically to your email address. Bottom line…create the professional image you want and you will start to fit it before long.

Get over phone phobia

This is the most common problem in our industry. People feel bad about interrupting someone’s day or asking for something out of the blue. But getting over phone phobia is just about changing perspective. Get into the mindset of valuing yourself and valuing what you’re offering. It’s not selfish to offer something of value and, the truth is, most people are genuinely interested in hearing from you.

Stop talking and start asking questions to create value

The key to the prior point and this one is ‘value.’ The best salespeople have an understanding of value to their clients and customers, but it’s not inherent. It’s learned. You identify your customer’s needs by asking about them. Before you offer them anything, ask what they need. Smart salespeople do not guess at what’s going to close the sale. They build an understanding of their customer or client’s needs then make the offer they already know the answer to. If you know what your potential customer or representative values and what’s important to them, you can share your products or opportunity from that perspective. But you won’t know if you don’t ask!

Don’t let distractions build up

Confidence demands focus. The enemy of focus is distraction. If you want to get to the next level of your compensation plan, it doesn’t help to have a hundred and one tasks on the back of your mind, weighing you down. Don’t get distracted (I call it chasing that squirrel). Instead, prioritize the tasks you have to really get out of the way and shut down other distractions. Turn off notifications, close your email, shut down social media, and focus on the job you’re doing.

Don’t scramble to offer everything

It’s hard to appear confident when you’re acting desperate. Learn not to be over-eager in making your offers. Figure out the one offer you’re going to make and stick to your guns. Don’t overwhelm your prospect with too many choices (because that may just make them throw up their hands and choose nothing). The paradox of choice states that a customer’s willingness to buy shrinks as they’re offered more choices to buy from. If you’ve done your job right by listening (see above), you’ve developed an understanding of what they need. You don’t need to keep offering them other options.

Hopefully these points help you realize that a lot of your barriers to self-confidence are artificial. All you really need is a change of perspective and a few small tweaks to become a confident seller and recruiter in your business. You’ve got this!

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Julie Anne Jones is a direct sales corporate consultant, coach, and trainer, and the CEO of Julie Anne Jones, Inc. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific systems, language, and tools for success in direct sales. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services, and to read her weekly blog posts, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.